Moving Tips: Pack It, Trash It or Store It?

Moving to a new home is the perfect excuse to purge excess items you no longer need. Sometimes it can be tricky to determine what to keep and what to toss. Storing is another option, especially for items you don’t use often.

To help you evaluate if you should pack, trash or store your belongings, read on for our tips.

How to Categorize Your Items

When sorting through your belongings before your move, ask yourself a series of questions to help categorize items:

How often do I use it?

How emotionally attached am I to it?

Is this ready for an upgrade?

Could someone else get more use out of it?

Does it still function correctly?

Will this fit the décor of my new home?

Is there room for this in my new house?

Pack up all the items that pass these questions. The rest will fall into one of the categories in the following sections.

Although getting rid of excess items can be a relief, sometimes it may be difficult to just throw your items away. So, when we say “trash it,” we just mean to that you’re not going to keep it. Consider other options that can give your useful belongings a second life, such as donating, selling or giving them away.

Some items that may fall into these categories include:

Apparel that is no longer worn.

Extra or unused kitchenware (plates, glasses, mugs, silverware).

Lightly worn furniture.

Lightly worn rugs.

Décor that is no longer used, such as lamps, paintings or sculptures.

Items to Store

Some of the items you want to keep may not fit in your new home. These might be sentimental items, seasonal items or future hand-me-downs.

Self-storage is a perfect solution. You’ll have access to them anytime without taking up space in your home. Plus, many self-storage facilities offer climate-controlled units to protect items from extreme heat or humidity. This can be important, especially if you have family keepsakes that you want to keep safe.

Are you looking for a place to store your belongings? Visit our Ohio Storage Facilities page to check out our four locations. We offer flexible storing options with no long-term contracts … perfect for movers!